Still Not Over
by nine miles to go
Summary: Chris is dying and the future hasn't been changed yet. In a last attempt to save Wyatt, he tells his fourteen-year-old self to travel to the past. But can little Chris handle what he's about to find in a whole different time?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Yet another story and I still haven't taken over the world—I mean, erm, Charmed industry. Yeah. That's it. Riiiiiight.

* * *

In another time, he'd be a cool kid riding on his skateboard through the streets of San Francisco. Girls would be eyeing him giddily and frolicking around the streets waving shopping bag's in one another's faces. Businessmen would be punching numbers on their cells phones and inattentively bumping into passerby. Young mothers would be scolding children for letting go of their hand or running in the crowd. And in another time, he'd have friends to hang out and cause mischief with.

But not here. There were no girls, no businessmen, no mothers and children, no friends. It was just him, alone on what was left of a dreary street once bustling with life. He couldn't remember that time and place. The titans had control over the world when he was born, and there'd be monsoons and tornados, floods and flash storms every week. When Chris was six, Wyatt defeated them.

But it didn't get much better, since Wyatt declared himself ruler of the world and nobody could stop him.

Ever since then, he'd been ignored. Phoebe and Mel and Jason were never around. He'd never met Paige, who'd died a year before his birth at the rise of the titans. And Piper...was dead. As of last week. But he was still too shocked to even think about it, let alone cry about it.

Then there was Leo. Chris knew that at one point Leo had the potential to be a great man, but those days were over. Sometimes he could go farther back in his mind than he ever had before and recall times that Leo was his idol. No matter what happened, Leo would find time to be with the boys. But after Wyatt turned evil, he rarely came back.

And when he did, he'd blame Chris. Chris was the outlet of his anger now. "If you were powerful enough, you could stop him....why don't you train?" Leo would ask.

"I'm a pacifist."

"You kill demons all the time!" Leo would protest.

"That's the exception," Chris countered. "I can't hurt my own brother!"

Just yesterday a grief stricken Leo had orbed into the manor, out of control. He took Chris by the shoulders and shook him, demanding "why, why, why?" continuously. Chris was shocked at first, unable to speak. Leo had never gotten violent before. Sure, he'd be mad at Chris sometimes, but he was always gentle.

Finally Chris burst into sobs along with Leo. "Stop it!" he'd cried, using telekinesis to throw Leo into a wall.

At least Leo seemed to come to his senses. "Chris...wait—I'm sorry!"

"Save it," Chris had spat, shaking in fear. "I'm sick of you. I'm not fighting Wyatt and I'm sorry I was too much of a loser to save mom. But you know what? You can blame yourself! It's your fault I exist!"

It was Leo's turn to be shocked. "I'm sorry...I didn't know—you felt that way..."

Chris never heard the rest of what he had to say because he'd orbed away.

And now, here he was, skateboarding. He didn't know where he was headed or where he was going. It didn't really matter anyway. The sound of the board against the smooth, cold cement was comforting though the wasteland surrounding him terrified him.

Suddenly his board hit something and he tripped, flying in the air and landing face down in the pavement. He groaned in annoyance and slowly got back up, rubbing his bleeding jaw with a scratched up palm. He could feel blood inside of his mouth. Besides a large cut on his knee, he was otherwise okay. What had he run over, anyways?

He looked down and suddenly felt very dizzy. He swallowed back the lump in his throat, mumbling "I'm sorry," to the lifeless, pale body on the sidewalk. "It's my fault. I couldn't stop him."

Of course Wyatt had done this. Who else? All that opposed him were killed immediately, and the rest of the demons and mortal felons were loyal to him and obeyed only his commands.

It was a man in his early twenties. He had brown hair and his green eyes were still open in shock. An athame had been plunged into his gut. And on his nose, there was a freckle. Instinctively, Chris' hand flew up to his own nose freckle. He had some resemblance to this stranger, but it didn't matter anyway. The guy was clearly dead. Might as well leave him at peace.

He stood, picking up his skateboard and starting to ride away. "Wait..." croaked a voice.

Chris gasped, turning around. The young man's startlingly green eyes locked with his own, this time very much alive.

"You're...alive?" Chris managed.

"The portal," the man said faintly. "Please. It's in the alley."

"What? A portal?"

"A time portal. Please, you're the last chance that there is...t-to stop Wyatt..."

"No—I can't do anything to Wyatt! I'm not powerful enough!" he cried. "Who are you?" The young man's eyes were slowly closing. "Please," Chris begged, "where did you come from? What can I do? I can't defeat him, he's too strong. You don't know him like I do."

A smile seemed to twitch at the man's lips. "I know him more...than you'd think..." His breaths were slowly fading.

"But how?"

"Go. Please. They'll explain..."

"Who?"

"The portal," the young man repeated, drawing in his last breath. "Good luck."

Chris watched the dead man for a while, trying to figure out why he seemed so important. There was some connection. Chris felt like this man was a part of him; or, more likely, Chris was a part of the man. But now he'd never know.

And he was willing to take a risk. What else could he do? What's the worst that could happen? He'd lost everything he cared about.

With a bold, confident state of mind he hadn't felt in a long time, he walked into the alley where the man had pointed.

Sure enough, a blue, shimmering portal hovered inches from the ground along the brick wall. He shuddered, imagining what could be beyond it, but he knew that this dead man he barely knew could be trusted. Something about him was assuring; like he had no reason to lie.

He stepped into the portal, bracing himself. A moment later he stepped onto a wooden floor.

Why was he in the attic?

He looked around him and gasped. A woman with black hair was holding a baby, Phoebe was flipping through the Book of Shadows, and Piper was sitting exhaustedly on the couch. They all looked like they'd been crying.

Chris' mind reeled. Hadn't the Book of Shadows disappeared? Where had the baby come from? Who was the black-haired woman? Wasn't his mother supposed to be dead?

The sisters all looked at him, equally shocked.

The thoughts seemed to swim around him. This was too much. What was happening?

He saw little lights in front of his eyes before he hit the floor and passed out.

* * *

This story idea was so random, even I don't know how I came up with it. I guess some of life's mysteries will never be solved...


	2. New Times

Disclaimer: I swear on all that is Wiccan that someday, somehow, Charmed WILL BE MINE! AS WELL AS DREW FULLER! But for now I must live with the limitations. But when I'm old enough to hire assassins...lol! Just kidding! Oh, and a hint to all of you "amateurs": plastic spoons make great weapons!

Thanks for checking out the story, peoples!

* * *

"What the hell...?" Paige cried, setting the sleeping baby into the crib. "Who is that?"

They had just recently settled down from the hospital after Chris' birth. Only moments before, they'd set Piper down and told her the terrible tale of 23-year-old Chris' death. It'd been an hour and she was still crying, but now she had leapt up in shock with her sisters.

"It's a boy," Phoebe gasped. She ran up to him and checked his pulse. "He's fine. Just unconscious."

"Did he just come through a portal?" Piper asked, clearly fretting. "A portal, Phoebe! Don't you get it? He could be evil! From the future—oh, maybe Chris died for nothing..." She began to tear up again.

"Honey..." Paige warned.

"It's only a boy," Phoebe assured her. "He's not armed. He doesn't look dangerous—he's probably just an innocent."

"Right," Piper snarled, "completely innocent. Evil comes in all shapes and sizes, you know!"

Phoebe turned the boy over so they could see his face. Phoebe and Paige jumped back and Piper let out a loud hiccupping sob of surprise. The boy had brown hair identical to Piper's and a little freckle on his nose. He was carrying a messenger bag.

"Oh my god," Phoebe gasped. "He looks just like..."

Another squeal from Piper interrupted her. "Don't say it! If you say it, I'll wake up and find out I'm dreaming!"

"Piper, you're not dreaming," Paige assured her. "We all see him."

"Then it's a nightmare," she choked. "Either that or a demon in disguise!"

"He's hurt," said Phoebe, seeing the blood running down his knee and jaw. She clearly wasn't listening to her sisters. "It looks like he fell."

"It's Chris," Paige marveled. "I can't believe it. What is he, like, twelve? Eleven?"

Piper couldn't help but notice how pale and thin the boy was. "He doesn't look like Chris," she said uncertainly. "He looks sick."

Phoebe pried open the flap of the messenger bag and leafed through its contents. "Some food," she noted. "And a notebook." She opened it and began to read. "'Chris Halliwell,' " she said aloud. "It is him."

The room was dead silent for ten seconds. Finally Piper shouted, "LEO!"

The baby started to cry. Wyatt orbed in from the nursery wearing a hopeful expression and Phoebe and Paige jumped.

The boy stirred and moaned, sitting up. The room froze.

A shocked, anguished expression reached his face. He backed away from them, green eyes wide. "You're not real, you don't exist," the boy was whispering, closing his eyes. He was, if possible, even paler than before, and shaking. "You're not real, you don't exist. You're not real, you don't exist..." He was choking on his words.

"Chris?" asked Phoebe tentatively. "It's okay."

He opened his eyes, staring at Piper. "You're dead," he whispered with a faraway look. "You're not real...you d-don't exist..."

"Mom used to say that," said Piper. "Remember? When we were scared at night."

"Where am I? Why did he do this?" he asked.

"You're okay," Piper assured him. Motherly instincts took over. "I'm not dead. I'm right here." She crossed over to him, putting an arm around his shoulder. He shrugged away, flinching.

"No, no...you're not...you're dead!" The boy wasn't crying. His face was a dead blank of every emotion but fear.

"I can't read him," Phoebe said worriedly.

"Tell us," asked Paige, "who are you?"

The boy looked up at her. "Who are YOU?" he asked coldly. "This isn't funny. Stop it! Where did you get the baby? Why is she suddenly alive?" He was on his feet now, furious. "Why are you doing this?! To remind me that it was all my fault??"

"Chris, you're in the year 2004," said Paige.

"No," said Chris between gritted teeth. "I recognize you—you're DEAD in the year 2004!"

Once again, there was silence.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he moaned again, orbing away.

"Come back!" Piper cried. "LEO! LEO!!"

Leo orbed in from the Underworld. "What? What's wrong?"

By now Piper was sobbing too hard to answer. "Find him," she wailed, "find Chris!"

Rage consumed him. "THEY KIDNAPPED HIM?" he demanded.

"No, he's right here," said Paige, calming him by showing him the baby. "Leo, there's an older Chris here. He looks about eleven. He's running around the city somewhere after stepping into a portal and he's in bad shape. You've got to find him."

"I—I—WHAT?" he stuttered, flabbergasted. "What are you saying?"

"He stepped through a portal out of nowhere. He's Chris, but he's younger. Try sensing for him," Phoebe advised. "But be careful. We don't know that much about Chris' past. He...he kept claiming that Piper and I were dead. He was really upset."

"I thought we fixed that," Leo whispered.

"Yeah. I know," said Phoebe. "But it could be a fluke. Maybe we did fix it."

Leo nodded uncertainly, closing his eyes. "I think I've got something," he said after a moment. "This is going to be awfully weird," he muttered, a dazed look on his face as he orbed away.

Chris orbed into an alley and jumped up, shocked at the noise. His hands shot up to cover his ears. What was happening? Cars honking, footsteps, talking, yelling—it was utter chaos! Were they under attack?

He ran out of the alley to get a better look. Everybody looked perfectly calm as they bustled hurriedly around the streets. It was suddenly like a fairy tale to him—the mothers scolding children, the businessmen on their cell phones. He grinned. There were even girls and boys his own age riding around. Some one bumped into him from behind.

"Dude, you got nailed," said the kid on skates. "Lost your board?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah," he said as the kid rode away. This was too weird.

He went back into the alley. As much as he'd love to stay and watch the streets, he was pretty sure it was all an illusion. He wouldn't allow himself to enjoy it much longer; it would only be taken away.

Suddenly another set of orbs filled the alley. Chris' heart seized with panic at the thought of even seeing Leo, and he orbed away on reflex to the only place he knew Leo wasn't stupid enough to go to.

To his surprise, the Golden Gate Bridge was beautiful and sparkling in the light. The water below was clean and plentiful and there were actually cars driving around on the streets. And he wasn't alone.

He jumped back at the sight of a woman in her mid-40s.

"Who are you?" he demanded, leaping to his feet.

The woman opened her eyes. "Arabella. I'm an elder. Are you a whitelighter?" she asked.

"Um, no."

"Ah, I knew you were out of place on earth. Whitelighters in training aren't allowed on earth, young one. There is still much for you to learn." She cocked an eyebrow in disapproval of his appearance. "Exactly how long have you been down here?"

"Uh...my whole life. I'm not some whitelighter in training and I'm definitely not dead. I think. What's going on here? Why is everything still in tact?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, stepping over to him. She placed a hand on his head as if reading his mind. "You come from the same world as Christopher Perry."

"I AM Christopher Perry. How do you know my name?"

"You're journey here will be shorter than his, but remember the goal is to save Wyatt. Preserve this world, for it is beautiful. Good luck, young hero."

"Huh?"

She orbed away and more orbs replaced her. Leo formed on the bridge, looking haggard and dirty. Not like the Leo Chris knew. But then again, Chris wasn't sure if he wanted to know any Leo at the moment.

"Chris?" Leo asked tentatively.

"Go away," said Chris, backing up. "Stop following me!"

"This isn't your time, you have to come with me," Leo pleaded. "You don't understand. You could easily get killed out here. We need to send you back."

"You're not Leo," Chris realized.

"Yes I am." Leo frowned, confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Chris opened his mouth to say exactly why, then decided against it and said something else. "This makes no sense. The man just told me to step through the damn portal and I was stupid enough to do what he said. This place...it can't be real! You're not real!"

"What man? Who made you come here?"

"I think he was me or something. From the future."

"Chris lived?" Leo asked hopefully.

Chris was surprised by the concern in Leo's eyes. Leo usually cared more about Wyatt. "See, I knew you weren't real. Why would you care if he died? It's not like I'm good for anything."

Leo seemed shocked. "I'm not the Leo from your time," he tried to reason.

"Then—then where AM I?" Chris asked quietly.

Leo took a step closer. The kid was obviously scared of him, scared of what was happening. He looked like he was in bad shape; pale and too skinny and small, cut up in several places.

"It's a long story. Here, take my hand and we'll head back to the manor. The sisters and I will explain. Do you want me to heal those cuts?"

Chris shook his head, flinching as he took Leo's hand. Suddenly he snatched his hand back. "I can orb on my own," he said quickly, orbing away from Leo. Leo could only hope that he'd orbed as directed, orbing to the manor himself.

He sighed in relief, seeing Chris in the attic. But the relief was short lived. There was a blonde boy with a knife...held up to baby Chris' throat.

"You wouldn't," the older Chris choked out.

"I would."

* * *

Lol. You'll just have to wait for the next chappie to find out what happens...

Pink-Charmed-One


	3. Old Lantern

Disclaimer: No, scratch the plastic spoons. The security guards just laughed me off the set...so if you're too slow to figure it out, then no, I don't own Charmed.

* * *

Leo reached out his arms to orb the baby to him, but the boy threw up his shield and the orbs bounced away harmlessly. He gawked at the maniacally grinning teenager. Only one person in all of his years could do that.

"Wyatt," Leo breathed.

"That's right, father," he said sweetly. His tone didn't change at all when he added lightly, "Take a step closer and the baby dies."

The room froze in fear.

"Please, Wyatt," Chris begged. "You can't kill me. I'm your brother!"

Wyatt scoffed. "Anyone who chooses to use enormous power such as yours to do good is not related to me," he said simply.

Chris was furious and shaking all over. His knuckles were white, clenched into fists. "Oh, I see," he said with a quivering voice that slowly became louder. "So that's why you killed all those innocents? That's why you killed our mother?!"

Piper gasped. She'd known that she would die, but not because she was murdered by her own son! Her eyes flashed over to her toddler. No, it wasn't true. It couldn't be.

"I may have killed her, but the fact that she's dead is every bit as much your fault as it is mine." Wyatt smirked, watching Chris' face turn blank and white. "Yes, Chris. If only you'd learned to heal, hm? Maybe if you practiced using powers more often you could've defended her. But you were too weak."

Chris' glazed green eyes just stared at Wyatt. "It's not my fault," he protested faintly.

Wyatt met his little brother's gaze. "Yes, Chris, it's all your fault."

Chris' hands clutched his head. "It's not true!" he yelled. "Stop it! Just go away!" A yellow light emerged, surrounding him. It began to grow bigger as he fell to his knees.

To the Charmed Ones' and Leo's surprise, Wyatt's eyes grew wide with fear. "Chris, don't—"

"I—I can't stop it!" he cried. "Help me!" Chris seemed to be struggling to hold the energy back, but little by little it was still growing. He held his head in his hands, shaking even harder than before until the ground itself was shaking.

"It almost killed you the last time," Wyatt said to himself under the noise, unaware that Leo could hear. "Maybe if I'm lucky, it'll kill you for real..."

The light burst, temporarily blinding the room's occupants with the intensity. Chris yelled in pain as it flooded the attic. Leo squinted, seeing Wyatt disappear and the knife dropping to the floor.

After a moment the light subsided. On Chris' face was a dazed expression, almost lifeless, before he collapsed on the floor.

"What happened?" Piper cried.

Leo rushed up to Chris and began healing. He began breathing normally again but he was still pale and unconscious on the floor, unmoving.

"I've read about this at Magic School. It was in a prophecy used as a lesson for unscrambling symbols in the advanced classes. It said that a vibrant light would be given to a chosen one because he alone could change anything with it. Time, space, fate—you name it. I think he just sent Wyatt...to the future," said Paige, awed. "But there's a catch. The chosen one can only alter three things in his lifetime and then he will die."

"Why isn't he waking up?" asked Piper, leaning in to take a closer look at her son. By now Phoebe was rocking baby Chris and little Wyatt was at her side.

"I heard Wyatt say that it had happened before," Leo informed them gravely. "This must be the second time. He said that last time it almost killed him."

"He thought it was his fault I died," Piper choked. "Leo, why would he think that? What have we done?"

"I think the question should be what I did to him in the future." Leo waved his hand, orbing Chris to their bedroom. He sighed. The same bedroom where Chris had died by Gideon's athame. The same bedroom where he disappeared.

Leo couldn't help but wonder where his son went.

-

* * *

A few hours later, Chris had woken. He felt weak and drained, and it took a lot of energy for him to lift himself up. He knew where he was, the instant he had opened his eyes. He knew he was trapped for the time being, too. No pun intended on the "time being" part.

He remembered using that power he'd discovered only a week ago. He remembered the pain, the frustration, the anger all bursting out. It was such a display of weakness and he was mad at himself, but he still couldn't cry. He never cried.

"Chris, are you up?" asked Piper. She walked in and a concerned look crossed her face. "You look horrible. Go lay back down, okay? Are you hungry?"

Come to think of it, he was starving. "Y-yeah," he replied, confused. The Piper he knew wasn't ever chirpy or happy and didn't have time to be concerned. She was always relentlessly trying to turn her wayward son back to the light, up until the very moment he'd killed her. This Piper...she didn't seem to be so sad.

He obeyed her command and sat down on the bed, exhausted. A few moments later she came back with some waffles and gave them to him.

"Thanks," he mustered. It had been a long time since Piper had been able to cook a meal in his time. "These look delicious."

Piper laughed, sitting down beside him on the bed. Her expression looked uneasy. I, well, ask you a few things?"

"There are a few things I want to ask you, too. I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know why I was sent back."

She cleared her throat. "Me first. How old are you? What's going on in your time?"

Luckily, the younger Chris didn't really think through the whole future-consequences idea. He flinched. "I'm fourteen."

Piper almost gasped, but held it back. The kid was way too small to be fourteen. Eleven, maybe, but not fourteen.

"Wyatt's sixteen. In my time, the titans attacked and killed Aunt Paige before I was born. Then came me. It was a well known fact that the first signs of Wyatt's turning occurred at my birth, so I guess...I guess Leo sorta blamed me for it," he said uncomfortably. Piper wanted to reach out and hug him but he continued. "Everyday was chaos and hell. Monsoons, tornados, floods, earthquakes..." He winced again, remembering something horrible, and involuntarily shivered. "But Wyatt defeated them and took over the world when I was five."

There was a moment that she stopped, soaking this in. "And he...killed people?"

Chris nodded, staring into his lap. "Mortals and those who didn't support him. My own dying self sent me back here, saying that I needed to save him." He paused. "But—but Leo wants me to stop him and I can't. He won't listen to me."

He looked defeated, broken. Piper couldn't help it. She embraced him, letting a tear roll down her cheek as he told the story. They separated after a moment.

"Wyatt killed me, didn't he?"

"You were in his way," Chris whispered shakily.

"Chris, it's not your fault. It was Wyatt's. You didn't do anything wrong," she insisted.

"But I couldn't save you! I wasn't strong enough to heal and that stupid power kept going crazy and—"

"Your power? The one you used here?"

Chris nodded. "It only works on evil, though."

"When did you first use it, Chris?"

"When the demons came and—and killed you." He looked down again, unable to meet her eyes. "You told me to go upstairs, but I didn't. I stayed in the middle and tried to stop some of the demons. I saw them hurting you and I kept wishing that they'd go away...then I was blinded by this light and the demons all disappeared. Right before I passed out, I saw that—that you were...dead. I stopped the demons, but...I couldn't save you."

"Don't blame yourself, Chris, you didn't do it. Wyatt made the demons come, not you. I'm sure that the Piper in your time knows that, because I know it for sure." She didn't want to tell him about the power. She didn't want him to know that he'd die if he used it again. "What happened after that?"

"It was a week ago, for me. I woke up a day later and I couldn't move. Finally I managed to get back up on my feet and Leo orbed in." He sighed. "He was crazy—he wasn't right in the head. He took me by the shoulders and shook me, demanding to know why I didn't...why—why I couldn't..."

"He was wrong. He didn't know that you were innocent, Chris. He loves you."

"I attacked him," Chris admitted. "I threw him at a wall with telekinesis. It was an accident."

"I know. Don't worry about it, alright? Everything's gonna be okay. I'll leave you alone for a little while. You can ask me your questions later."

Chris nodded, taking a few bites of the waffles before pushing it aside. He didn't feel particularly hungry anymore. He laid his head back and fell asleep again.

* * *

_You are not to tell them any more..._

"What? Tell who? What am I not supposed to say?" Chris asked the voice, looking around the endless white space stretched before him for its owner.

_It's me—or you. It's Chris again, from the future further than yours._

"But you're dead! How can you be talking to me?"

_I can still guide you. You are here to save Wyatt after a failed attempt. The mission is to destroy the lantern_.

"Lantern? What lantern? I don't know what you're talking about!"

_The lantern holds the power. It's in the attic. Find the lantern before Wyatt does._

"What does it look like? What will it do?"

_It once belonged to Melinda Warren. She used it to seal her powers inside of it before she was killed, saving it for another generation. Wyatt is not supposed to have it; it gives him the power, it makes him evil._

"Wait—why was I sent to do this?"

_You're the only one left._

* * *

Chris shot up in bed in cold sweat, gasping for air. The lantern, the lantern...

He had to start searching! The future was at stake!

* * *

Did you enjoy the chappie? Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Homework. Ugh.


	4. Crumbled Pieces

* * *

Disclaimer: Brad Kern has proven near impossible to stalk. For starters, does anyone even know where the hell he lives?? How can I blackmail him without his whereabouts? Oh, right. Hem. Back to the point...no, I don't own Charmed. Hopefully you knew that already, though...lol.

* * *

Chris jumped up, trying to clear his head. Wyatt had all of this power from a lantern? How could that be possible? And how would it have survived since the time of Melinda Warren?

This was all too much to absorb, but the realization hit him like a boulder. He was dead. Well, not technically yet, but he was going to die. That boy...was himself! That's why he had seemed so familiar, laying there on the street.

Chris shuddered and decided not to look into that. He crept in the darkness, trying not to wake anyone up. The last thing he wanted to do was have to come up with an explanation for snooping in the attic. This entire arrangement was strange enough; for all he knew, they could think he was a demon.

But technically, he didn't even exist. He was dead. He looked down at his hands to confirm that he was still alive and breathing, and to his relief they weren't transparent or missing. They were right there, along with the rest of him. But he supposed that that was because the Chris that died was older than he was. So he'd have another eight years before he bit the dust. How comforting.

He stubbed his toe on something and looked down. His messenger bag! He opened it carefully, finding his notebook and what was left of his food stash. "My spell book," he noticed. "It's...different."

Sure enough, he opened it to find it was completely empty. "What the hell?" he whispered to himself. "Where are all of my spells?" The only thing left in the notebook was his name, scrawled out on the front. He ran a finger over the pen marks, only to find that it disappeared. He gasped in surprise, then realized that since in this time he couldn't even write, he definitely wouldn't have his own spell book. With a frustrated groan, he stuffed the notebook away.

He checked the inner pockets of the bag to see what else he'd bothered to pack before running away. A sharp corner of a piece of paper caught his eye when it poked him. He took it out.

It was a picture of Piper and Chris. Leo was off in elder-land and Wyatt was too busy taking over the world. Chris looked mournfully at the picture, taken three years ago. If only he could go back to that time...

Tears welled up in his eyes but he didn't cry. Not even when the picture in his hand crumbled into dust. He suppressed a cry and watched it diminish to nothing at his feet.

"It doesn't matter. It's too late," he told himself, standing up. "The lantern...I've gotta find it..."

He opened the first trunk he could stumble towards in the dark, though he highly doubted it would be in such a convenient place. Oh, sure, like the lantern would be stashed away in an oh-so-casual spot where anybody could find it. Yeah, right.

It was just as he'd predicted. A long piece of shimmering cloth, some candles, a baby pacifier, and some notebook paper were in the trunk, but nothing of any use to him. He tried the second, but ended up with the same luck he did last time. There was nothing of any importance in the third, fourth, or fifth, either.

"Okay, maybe it's not in a trunk," he decided after a while. He saw that it was getting light outside and knew that he should return to the bed.

The floorboard creaked as he made his way out. He froze. Did anybody hear?

After a long, long wait in that position, he decided he was safe.

Little did he know that Leo had been watching him from the doorway the entire time.

"Are you feeling all right?" asked Piper, stopping by the doorway and seeing him awake and scribbling in his notebook.

He looked up, surprised. "Yeah," he mumbled, putting the notebook down. It was so weird seeing her face.

"So...do you still have any questions to ask me?"

"No. I think I've figured it out."

"How?" she asked curiously. "It's complicated, you know."

"I think I understand. I mean, about the boy." Piper gave him a confused look so he explained. "He was lying on the street. He looked just like me and he told me to go through the portal to save Wyatt. So I walked through and now...this." He shrugged. "So I'm dead."

"You're not dead, you're right here," Piper laughed. She nudged him playfully. "Anyways, it just became apparent that the future hasn't been fixed." Tears formed in her eyes but she smiled. "At least I get to spend a little more time with you before you really have to go back for good."

"Um...okay," Chris managed. The older Chris and Piper from this time must have really hit it off. He didn't want to tell her what he knew. He didn't want to disappoint her by saying he wasn't going to be hanging around.

"Wanna meet the baby you?" asked Piper.

"Huh? Oh! S-sure."

Piper laughed again and Chris was almost shocked. When was the last time Piper had laughed in his time? She seemed downright giddy!

A few moments later she came in with the baby. Though he was only a few days old, his eyes were unusually already shining like emeralds. Their eyes locked, and for the second time Chris found himself staring back at his own hard gaze. Piper held him out for Chris to hold and Chris hesitated for a second before taking the baby in his arms.

Well, now he knew what it was like to have a clone. "Wow...this is strange."

Piper laughed AGAIN. "It's too bad the other you didn't get to see himself like this."

Chris didn't want to say anything, afraid that he might upset her. There was a faraway look in her eyes. He began to wonder why he was worth so much to her as an adult, but then he came to an understanding. Piper had been basically a single mother at the time and freaking out that her son might turn evil. Who better to protect him with than his little brother at twenty-two?

"Hey, actually...I do kind of have a question." He bit his lip. "Um, do you know where an old lantern might be? Nothing special. Wyatt and I kind of broke it in the future," he lied. "Is there any chance you might know where it was?"

"Yeah, actually, funny you should mention that. I think Leo and I put it in a safe by the window. Leo kept telling me how important it was. Do you guys break things a lot?" she teased.

"Um, no, not really." He grinned. "Okay, maybe a few things." He didn't tell her that she wouldn't live to see Wyatt's sixteenth birthday. He didn't tell her that her son would be off the deep end at seven years old. "But Leo could always fix them." Too bad Leo couldn't fix his own first born.

"Why did you call him Leo? He's your father."

Chris shrugged. "Dunno," he mumbled.

"The other Chris did that, too. The Leo in your future must have been pretty bad. I guess he does more than just that later on."

"I'm pretty sure he will, by the looks of things," Chris agreed.

"But what exactly is wrong with him?" asked Piper. "Is it something that can be avoided?"

"Wyatt's too powerful. That's what happened. Leo was obsessed with Wyatt being able to defend himself against demons; the kid knew how to heal before he could talk, thanks to Leo. And Leo was always trying to boost Wyatt along so he'd have more powers. He didn't realize that in the end, Wyatt would be corrupted and evil."

"So...Wyatt turns evil because Leo pushes him to excel?" She frowned. "Something doesn't add up."

"I know. That's why I'm here, I think."

"To do what?"

"I can't tell you."

"Here we go again......."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out when you're older," said Piper with a smirk. "Hey, we're having breakfast downstairs. Are you coming?"

"Yeah...sure."

This could definitely take some getting used to.

* * *

Okay, there was absolutely no action in this chapter and you were probably bored to death, but I wanted Chris and Piper to get their bearings, you know? Anyways, just because this chapter sucked doesn't mean that the rest of them will...keep reading! Oh, and I'll try to update more frequently. After tonight, three out of four of my ongoing school projects will be turned in and completed. I'll have some more free time. At least until next quarter's projects roll on along...

AND I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT!

Hey, I got Drew Fuller's autograph! HE KNOWS MY NAME! I KNOW WHAT HIS SEMI SLOPPY AND YET BEAUTIFUL HANDWRITING LOOKS LIKE! I COULD DIE FROM JOY! But I won't cuz I need to finish this chappie. lol.

Pink-Charmed-One


	5. Locked Away

WOW! I haven't updated this in MONTHS...Whoooaaaa. :D So sorry for the delay, life's been pretty crazy. You wouldn't believe it if I told you (and if I listed all the things I gotta get done one more time, my friend Stacey might come to murder me teehee :D :D :D)

Well, um, uh, here's your lovely update! (If any of the people originally reading this are still ALIVE at this point...heh).

Disclaimer: What canI say? Brad Kern is slippery. But one of these days...

* * *

Chris immediately tensed when he saw Leo down at the breakfast table, reading the newspaper. After a moment's hesitation, he sat down, convincing himself that it didn't matter anyway. All the activity in the room seemed to cease as heads turned to stare at him.

"Uh…good morning," he greeted Phoebe and Paige.

Leo looked down from the newspaper. "Oh, hello, Chris," he said nervously, giving Chris an anxious look.

"…Hi, Leo," Chris said abruptly, not making eye contact. He turned towards the sisters. "Sorry for freaking out on you guys when I first got here. I was just…"

"Scared? Confused? Freaked out?" Phoebe supplied for him.

"Yeah," Chris laughed. Phoebe always had that creepy way of being able to read minds. "I guess you've got your empath powers already, then?"

"Didn't need them to know, though," she said, winking at him.

"It's fine, Chris. Don't be sorry," Paige assured him. She walked over to him and plopped three pancakes on his plate. "Here ya go. There are seconds if you need 'em."

Chris stared at her stupidly. He'd never actually seen his Aunt Paige before, not counting the videos and pictures of her. Now she was so close, so realistic, that he could reach out and touch her. He could hear her actual voice and not some recorded garble on a television screen.

"What?" she asked him, cocking her head. Then she grinned. "Don't worry, kid, I didn't make these, Piper did. The pancakes are safe."

Chris grinned back. "No, it's not that…I've just never met you before."

Paige's eyes widened. "Right! I completely forgot! Silly me. Allow me to introduce yourself as your Aunty Paige," she said cheerfully, extending out her hand for him to shake.

"Nice to meet you," said Chris, shaking her hand. "I guess you've already met me."

"Twice," Phoebe added.

"Chris…" Leo started after the laughter died down.

Just then Piper walked in carrying Wyatt and baby Chris. Leo stood up and took Wyatt from her arms to relieve her, placing him in his high chair and bringing him a cut up pancake.

A lump formed in Chris' throat when he realized that he shouldn't be distracted like this. He had a mission: find the lantern. What he was supposed to do after that, he wasn't sure…but at least he had a hint now. Leo had locked it in a safe.

Leo. Damn it.

The man sat down again, giving Chris a short glance before picking up the newspaper again and reading. Chris wondered why the hell Leo seemed to be scared of _him_. What did Leo have to be afraid of? Wasn't it Chris that should be afraid of Leo?

Chris stared down at his lap. Of course Leo would be scared of him…he was the lesser child, after all, and now he was older than the baby Chris was. He was a threat to Leo.

"Good morning, everyone," said Piper, reaching over for the coffee.

Paige stopped her in her tracks, grabbing her hand before it touched the pot. "The morning isn't good until I get my coffee. Move over, girlie."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Yes, your highness." She turned to Chris. "You don't like the pancakes?" she asked him, concerned.

"Huh?" Chris was pulled out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry." He looked down at the table. "Um, where's the fork?"

Phoebe laughed. "Are you kidding?"

Chris frowned, confused. "Uh…"

"We don't use forks in this house, not since Wyatt was born!" Paige laughed. "I guess I started that, though…" she muttered. "No wonder you didn't know."

Chris winced, remembering how, when he was four, Leo had yelled at him for using his hands to eat and sent him to his room. He left him up there for hours before Piper came home and found him. His mother had yelled at Leo, and Chris remembered feeling so guilty.

He'd known all his life that their breakup was his fault. His birth tore the family apart, sent Leo to Elder-land.

"Okay, I'm game," said Chris, forcing a smile back at them. He thought he saw Phoebe looking at him funny, but he disregarded it. If she knew what was good for her, she'd keep quiet.

He took a big bite of pancake. "Mmm!" he mumbled through his mouthful. "Dis is goog!"

"See? I told you Piper made them," Paige groaned. "Phoebe and I can't cook to save our lives."

Chris didn't realize just how hungry he'd been until he'd stuffed down two of the pancakes and a glass of milk. Then, completely satiated and ready to start with the "mission," he pushed the plate aside.

"What, you're finished already?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, I'm full. Thanks, Mom, it was great."

Piper smiled. She loved hearing him call her Mom, even if he wasn't supposed to be here.

Chris looked at Leo, trying to muster up enough confidence to bring up the lantern. It should be easy, right? Just ask where the key is. No questions asked.

Yeah, right. There would be questions…but his older self had strictly instructed him not to say a word. He wasn't allowed to divulge any information.

But was it that his older self told him not to tell the others anything, or was it that he just didn't want Leo to know?

Leo rose from the table, folding up the newspaper, and walked into the living room. Chris cut up his remaining pancake and gave it to Wyatt, then stuck his plate and glass in the dishwasher before following the man.

"Hey, um…Leo?"

Leo turned around, not looking the least bit surprised to see the teenager following him. "Hey, Chris, I wanted to talk to you about…"

"Look, it doesn't matter," Chris lied. It did matter, but this wasn't the time or place to get into it. "I need to know something."

"Shoot," Leo told him.

"Huh?"

"You know, 'shoot'," Leo repeated. "Like, 'go for it,' or 'tell me what you're'…" He shook his head. "Never mind. I guess you don't say that in the future."

"No, we don't." _But you did, when you actually talked to me, _Chris kept to himself. "I was wondering about the lantern that you keep up in a safe. Piper told me about it."

Leo narrowed his eyes, not quite understanding. "What did Piper tell you about it? I doubt she even knows what it is."

Chris gulped under Leo's suspicious glare. "Er, she just told me you had it locked up."

"What do you want it for?" Leo asked.

Chris couldn't find words. He didn't want to tell Leo anything—this was supposed to be simple. Find the key, get the lantern, destroy it if necessary. He wasn't counting on suspicion.

"I need it because…" He pressed his mind. "It's dark in the manor at night?"

"There are nightlights for that, Chris."

"Oh."

The wind blew outside and rattled the shutters on the windows, filling the emptiness of the room.

"Look, I don't really understand why I need it. But I do," Chris blurted. "Last night…"

"Last night, you were prying around in the attic," Leo countered. "Don't try to deny it, Chris, I saw you up there. You were looking for something. Why do you need the lantern?"

"You—you were spying on me!" Chris accused, rage bubbling inside of him. He suppressed it, trying to remain calm.

"I wasn't spying…I heard something up in the attic, and I went upstairs to see who it was. Demons know I'm mortal now, Chris, and without the older you, the Charmed Ones are completely vulnerable."

"They can defend themselves," Chris defended them. "They don't need you."

Leo flinched. To Chris' horror, he was actually enjoying Leo's belittlement. He was no better than Wyatt, trying to tear people apart. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he do anything right?

"Chris…"

"Don't!" Chris interrupted. "I don't want to talk, okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. But I need the lantern—I _do _mean that."

"You need to tell me _why_," Leo asserted.

"You know the amount of power it holds," Chris said quietly. "You know what it can do. Think about what would happen if it ended up in the wrong hands."

Leo's eyes widened. "You want to use it yourself, so you can overcome Wyatt," Leo deduced. "You think that it will give you enough power to stop him."

"N-no!"

"Chris, it isn't going to help. You need to find another more peaceful way to stop Wyatt. It's the most effective path. Don't fight."

The rage was no longer able to be suppressed. "How DARE you!" Chris said under his breath so the sisters wouldn't hear. "I don't even know what the lantern DOES. All I know is that it holds a great deal of power that Wyatt is going to eventually steal! If we don't destroy it, then—" Suddenly Chris stopped short. "You," he hissed, "telling ME not to fight. After I avoided fighting Wyatt all these years, hanging on to the pacifist ways despite you telling me to train…make up your mind already!"

"Chris, it wasn't me!"

"It damn right was you!"

"Look, I didn't mean to make you mad—"

"Well, you did! Congratulations! I don't want the freaking lantern for myself, I need it so Wyatt doesn't—"

There was a crash up in the attic. The two of them froze.

* * *

Ahhhh, the beauty of cliffies. It's been so long since I've enjoyed the fruits of fanfictions...:D :D :D

Review, pretty please!


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